There's a craze starting on Facebook. Clinicians leaving a root fragment in the buccal aspect of a socket - and then PLACING an implant against it. Why on earth would anyone do this?

What is the Socket Shield Technique?

A technique used in immediate implant cases, where instead of completely removing the tooth, a buccal root fragment is left in the socket, as the implant is inserted behind it.

Why do clinicians Love the Socket Shield?

In the aesthetic region, the height and thickness of facial and interproximal bone are crucial in maintaining the gingival architecture.However, following an extraction, there is ultimately some loss of this ridge dimension due to ridge resorption whatever the extraction technique.

Placing an implant does not stall this buccal bone loss. Grafting even with GBR can partially compensate, but does not stop the resorption process.

Therefore, the theory is that by leaving a root fragment in place, you will predictably maintain this buccal bone.

Although there needs to be more long-term histological examination in this area, it has been proposed that cementum does form on the implant in the implant-tooth fragment interface. Osseointegration is otherwise unaffected on the other sides of the implant.

Thanks to Dr Francisco Barbosa and Periospot for helping us create the 3D interactive content.

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